It occurs to me that being an organ tuner is likely to be a precarious occupation from a financial point of view. As churches were closed during Lockdown tuners were not visiting; they are now and I assume most tuners have a contract with the churches they service. One church I know only has (and only needs) an annual tune which currently costs £100 for 7 stops.
In the past tuners would attend at least twice a year (possibly more) and they called their visits by the season: "We are just arranging our round of Harvest tunings and would like to attend your church on..." was the typical wording.
With full, accompanied services taking place probably once a month in each church of a Benefice some organs are no longer played weekly. Also, some of the churches near me do not have (m)any reeds stops and the flues stay in tune pretty well.
As more churches turn to CDs for hymn accompaniments or to worship bands, this may not be the time to enter to industry!
No comments:
Post a Comment